Date: 2 December 2024 (Monday)
Time: 7-9 pm
Format: Hybrid mode (Onsite: Room 6-213, 6/F, Mau Ming Wai Academic Building, City University of Hong Kong/ Online via ZOOM (ZOOM login: Click here  or  Meeting ID:  829 0585 4669 /Passcode: 541305)
Language: English

Speakers: 
LIU Xialing (Ph.D. in Art History, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, Visiting scholar at Utrecht University, Netherlands) 
NG Sandy (Assistant Professor, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Discussant & Moderator: 
WANG Lianming (Associate Professor, City University of Hong Kong)

Moderator:
WANG Yizhou (Research Assistant Professor, Hong Kong Baptist University)

Registration
Registration is required for online/onsite participation. Please complete the online registration form on or before noon, 29 November 2024.

Registration closed

All are welcome! 

Lecture Abstracts

Lacquer, Porcelain, and Seashell: Trans-materiality of the Qing-era Porcelain Revisited 
《漆、瓷与贝：清代瓷器的跨物质性再探》  by Dr. LIU Xialing

Lacquer, porcelain, and shell inlay are three significant materials in the realm of material culture and decorative arts. The author has identified a rare category of artifacts that uniquely integrates all three materials into a single object. These artifacts feature a porcelain base as their foundational element, with surfaces that are lacquered and adorned with shell(mother-of-pearl) inlay. For this discussion, we shall refer to them as lacquer-imitating porcelain with mother-of-pearl inlay. Such objects are exceedingly rare, with surviving examples found in various overseas museums, including the Guimet Museum (Musée Guimet) in Paris, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the United States.

This research centers on lacquer-imitating porcelain with mother-of-pearl inlay. Firstly, the author will compile a comprehensive list of these objects and examine their preservation status and collection history through field trips. Secondly, the study will analyze the craftsmanship, materials, techniques, and processes involved in the creation of these artifacts. Particular attention will be given to the fusion of lacquer and porcelain, investigating the craftsmanship that facilitated the production of such unique objects. Thirdly, the research will explore the material interactions between porcelain and lacquer, discussing how various traditional lacquer techniques—such as carved layered lacquer (tixi 剔犀), flat inlay (pingtuo 平脱), gilt engraving (qiangjin 戗金), and lacquer carving (diaoqi 雕漆)—have been integrated with porcelain. At times, artisans also utilize porcelain to imitate lacquerware. This practice prompts a further discussion on the intersections of different materials, craftsmanship, and objects. 

These objects, which seamlessly integrate both lacquer and porcelain, encourage us to transcend the traditional view of these materials in isolation. Instead, they illuminate the interactions and mutual imitation between different mediums. This interplay not only evokes a sense of intrigue and competition among the materials but also creates a visual illusion, inviting us to engage as spectators in this trompe-l'œil ("trick of the eye") material game. 

Speaker Biography
Xialing LIU, Ph.D. in Art History from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, a visiting scholar at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Her research interests include Trans-cultural Art History and Material Culture. She specializes in the study of lacquer cabinets, Coromandel lacquer screens, and European lacquer during the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Her doctoral dissertation, titled "The Global Circulation of Coromandel Lacquer: The Making of Coromandel Lacquer Screen in China and its Adaptation and Trans-material (Re-) Production in Europe from the 17th Century to the 18th Century " .Her selected published papers on lacquer include "A Study of Lacquer Decoration in 18th Century Europe: An Example of the 'East Asian Lacquer Cabinet' at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna" and "The Metamorphosis of Chinese Lacquer Screens: The Fashion of Lacquer Cabinets in Europe and its Continuation in the Modern Age."

Her scholarly contributions have been recognized at various prestigious conferences, including CAA, EAAA, CIHA, EACS and so on. She organized the session "The Global Circulation of Lacquer" at the 36th World Congress of Art History in Lyon. She has received several grants, including the TIQITAQ grant, China Scholarship Council, the National Scholarship, and the Wang Shikou grant. 

Cross Cultural Knowledge and Material Appropriation in Lacquer Design by Dr. Sandy NG

Lacquer was introduced to Europe in the sixteenth and seventeen centuries and became fashionable during the Art Deco period (1920s-1930s). Lacquerware is largely associated with luxurious designs including jewellery, toiletries, and the interiors of ocean liners. The combination of lacquer and mother-of-pearl grew hugely popular. This talk examines a main feature in Art Deco vanity cases-the reuse of original Chinese lacquer inlaid with tinted mother of pearl mosaic or marquetry and other precious materials. In order to preserve the ancient technique and the integrity of precious designs, high jewellery houses collected original lacquer pieces from major antique dealers. Panels were extracted from existing bowls, tables, or trays and then refabricated with embellishment of enamel, jade, coral, lapis lazuli, onyx, cabochon gemstones, and diamonds in Art Deco ensembles. This talk will also explore cross cultural aspects of design transfer in lacquer panels that were made in Paris based on Asian models. Many western inlays were the creation of European craftsmen including Vladmir Makowsky, a Russian émigré artist working in Paris. He specialized in creating Chinese lacquer and gemstone design using traditional Chinese iconography and perspectives to emulate authentic effect of Chinese design. His tablets are set within a geometric border of enamel in Art Deco pastiche, combining traditional Asian manufacturing methods with Art Deco designs and vibrant colour schemes. 

Speaker Biography
Sandy Ng is an Assistant Professor of Culture & Theory in the School of Design of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She received her PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London). Her published works include articles that examine hybrid modernism and the formation of female identity in painting as well as cultural metaphor and female mental health in design. She was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Bard Graduate Centre in the United States and is presently College Art Association’s caa.reviews Field Editor for Design History. Her commissioned edited volume titled The Dynamics of Modern Asian Design-Material Culture and Social Agency is currently in production. Her book entitled Portrayals of Women in Early Twentieth-Century China: Redefining Female Identity through Modern Design and Lifestyle is published by Amsterdam University Press. She is presently working on a new project that explores craftsmanship, gender, identity, and materiality.